st: Programming a version-number check

Dear Statalisters:
How would you recommend programming a check for the version number of an
installed ado program?
I have a vague memory of something like this discussed on the list in the
past, but I've checked the Statalist archives for guidance on this and
couldn't find anything, so here goes.
I want to write an ado program that checks to see if another ado is
installed, and if it is, checks the version number.
Checking whether another ado is installed is easy; -findfile- does the
trick easily enough. But checking the version number is not so
straightforward. The problem is that -which- sends output with this
information to the screen, but stores nothing that can be easily accessed.
Using -findfile- to get the path to the ado, opening the ado with -file-,
and then messing about with file i/o is unappealing, though I suppose it
could be made to work. Is there anything easier?
--Mark
Prof. Mark Schaffer
Director, CERT
Department of Economics
School of Management & Languages
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS
tel +44-131-451-3494 / fax +44-131-451-3294
email: m.e.schaffer@hw.ac.uk
web: http://www.sml.hw.ac.uk/ecomes
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